A Study on Labour Absorption in Agriculture: with Special Reference to Salem District, Tamilnadu K.M

2108 K.M.Senthilkumar/ Elixir Prod. Mgmt. 32 (2011) 2108-2110

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Elixir Prod. Mgmt. 32 (2011) 2108-2110 A study on labour absorption in agriculture: with special reference to Salem district, Tamilnadu K.M. Senthilkumar Department of Economics, Salem Sowdeswari Collage, Salem -636010, Tamilnadu, India.

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: The present Study Discuss Labour Absorption in Agriculture, employment generation is one Received: 10 February 2011; of the major objective of the developed and developing countries. Labour is one of the Received in revised form: important factors of production in Indian economy, particularly in rural economy, rural 26 February 2011; industries and small scale industries. As India is a country of villages, three fourth of Indian Accepted: 3 March 2011; population is living in rural Indian and two, third of this population directly or indirectly depends on the agricultural sector for live Livelihood (Planning Commission 1990). In India Keywords the number of person employed in industry, relatively to agriculture is small consequently Agricultural Labour, large portion of the labour force will continue to obtain their sustenance from farm and farm Labour Absorption in Agriculture, related occupations. At least during next two or three decades, the agricultural sector must Dry and Wet land Employment, provide employment opportunities in rural areas. The studies conducted in the past have Job opportunities in primary sector, broadly concluded that technological progress based on seed, fertilizer and irrigation is Male and Female participation in Crop generally labour-using in nature whereas mechanization via tractors, pump sets, harvesters cultivation. and threshers is usually labour –saving in nature. However, usually these two aspects of the technological progress are complementary in nature and as such there is no consensus regarding the total effect of technological progress on labour absorption. In this context, both dry land and wet land technologies have been considered to assess labour absorption in Salem District, Tamilnadu. © 2011 Elixir All rights reserved.

Introduction cropping intensity, would increase labour employment in Employment generation is one of the major objective of the agricultural sector. developed and developing countries. Labour is one of the Statement of problem important factors of production in Indian economy, particularly An important issue is that of technological progress in in rural economy, rural industries and small scale industries. As Indian agriculture, widely debated recently is regarding changes India is a country of villages, three fourth of Indian population is in the input mix and relative shares of different factors of living in rural Indian and two, third of this population directly or production. In this regards the studies conducted in the past have indirectly depends on the agricultural sector for live Livelihood broadly concluded that technological progress based on seed, (Planning Commission 1990). In India the number of person fertilizer and irrigation is generally labour-using in nature employed in industry, relatively to agriculture is small whereas mechanization via tractors, pump sets, harvesters and consequently large portion of the labour force will continue to threshers is usually labour –saving in nature. However, usually obtain their sustenance from farm and farm related occupations. these two aspects of the technological progress are At least during next two or three decades, the agricultural sector complementary in nature and as such there is no consensus must provide employment opportunities in rural areas. regarding the total effect of technological progress on labour The planning commission also reports that 2 per cent of absorption. In this context, both dry land and wet land growth in population creates hundred million people, join the technologies have been considered in our study to assess labour army and also have find job in agriculture and in allied activities absorption in Salem District. (Sarthi Achaya 1992). To what extent, this can be done is Objectives question often raised but seldom answered. Also it is understood 1. To make a comparative analysis of Labour absorption in dry that the agricultural labour group is highly unskilled, illiterate, and wetland Farmers. unorganized and is the social group highly exploited by the 2. To study the impart of mechanization in labour absorption powerful land owners. Hence job security is totally absent in Review of literature agriculture. A large proportion of them remain unemployed Muhammad Javed Iqbal (2008) points out that India’s Ninth during slack season. These facts clearly reflect the miserable - Five Years Plan projects generation of 54 million new jobs conditions and challenges encountered by the class. during the Planed period (1997 -2002). The study indicated that It is universally accepted that irrigation in stabilising the performance has always fallen short of target in the past, and agricultural and employment opportunities in irrigated area are few believe that the current Plan will be able to meet its target. bound to increase. Intensive ploughing, weeding and other India’s labour force is growing at the rate of 2.5 per cent agriculture operations are also increased through irrigation. This annually, but employment is growing at only 2.3 per cent. Thus, process of modernization, is associated with irrigated area and

the country is faced the challenge, not only absorbing new Selection of District entrants to the job market (estimated at seven million people This study was conducted in Salem district, which was every year), but also clearing the backlog. 60 per cent of India’s purposively selected for this study on the following grounds. workforce is self-employed, many of whom remain very poor. Salem district is an agrarian economy. The most of the rural Nearly 30 per cent are casual workers (i.e. they work only when population are depending upon agriculture sector for their lively they are able to get jobs and remain unpaid for the rest of the hood and half of them are agricultural laborers. days) only about 10 per cent are regular employees, of which In this district, working population is 11.37 lakhs two-fifths are employed by the public sector. More than 90 per accordingly for 43 percent of the total population. The cent of the labour force is employed in the “unorganised sector”, unemployment problem also exists in this district, so there is a i.e. sectors which does not provide with the social security and need of improving the potentiality of agriculture to provide other benefits of employment in the “organised sector”. gainful employment. Ranjit Singh Ghuman, (2009) stated that The South Asian Selection of Taluks countries continue to be predominantly rural and agrarian in Salem district has nine Taluks and they are classified on the terms of the share of population and workforce. basis of predominance of wet and dry land cultivation. Based on The proportion of rural population and workforce ranges the classification, dry land taluk known as Omalur and wet land between 60 to 80 per cent, respectively. The very success of taluk known as Idappadi were chosen as sample taluks. green revolution” has, however, put a great pressure on Selection of Blocks and villages environment, ecology, water resources, and the very After the selection of taluks, one of them was selected for sustainability of agriculture. the study. Idappadi block in Idappadi taluk, Tharamangalam Agricultural development in these countries did not go block in in Omalur taluk, were selected for the study. Idappadi along the Kaldor, Kuznets long term dynamics of agrarian block is located at Cauvery Delta area and it represents the wet transformation and thereby rural transformation. As such the agro- economic condition and Tharamangalam block represents diversification of rural economy, not only in terms of output, but dry agro- economic condition. In Tharamangalam block, also in terms of employment, is imperative for the sustainability Arurpatti village was chosen. Also Idappadi block and and development of the rural economy. Poolampatti village were chosen for the study. The low productivity agricultural activities, ever, rising Selection of Farm Respondents rural unemployment, shrinking labour absorption capacity of From Arurpatti dry land and Pollampatti wet land, 10 per agriculture are other very serious limitations of the rural and cent of farmers were selected for the study. From the 1496 agrarian economy of these countries. All this has resulted in farmers in Arurpatti, 150 farmer respondents and from the 1607 increased rural, urban gap and a growing sense of deprivation on farmers in Poolampatti, 160 farmer respondents were selected the part of rural population. for the study. The total number of farmers in dry land village Vinod K Anand (2009) expressed that the problems of and wet land village are 3103; it was felt that as 10 per cent employment creation, income-distribution and poverty sample (310 farmer respondents) would be sufficient to keep the alleviation are common to most low and middle-income study manageable and to get statistically tenable results. countries. India is no exception. Despite a paradigm shift in the Field Investigation whole macro-economic management in 1990-91, the social Primary data were collected by interview with dry land and indicators of absolute poverty line, the Gini-Lorenz ratio, and wet land farmers in the study area. The data were collected from unemployment rates present a mixed scenario. total own labour, total hired labour, total own and hired labour, Whereas the number of people below the property line total animal labour and total Mechanical labour employment of declined from a massive 54.9 per cent in 1973-74 to a low of 36 the study area in paddy cultivation. per cent in 1993-94, and inequalities in the distribution of Tools of data analysis consumption expenditure (in terms of the Gini-Lorenz ratio) The Pooled data have been analyzed with the help of T-test. have declined over time to title less than 0.30, the improvement Limitation of Study in the unemployment, which was 1.90 per cent of the labour The labour absorption of the study was confined to force in 1993-94, went up to 2.33 per cent during 1999-2000. comparatively a shorter period of only one agricultural year Although it has witnessed a steady decline, the number of poor (2010), because the farmers did not maintain farm records about people remained stable at around 320 million for a fairly long agricultural operations and other related interaction. Obviously period of two decades, the eighties and the nineties, due to a time and cost constraints have restricted the researcher in taking countervailing growth in population, and beyond that the poor samples at a large scale. are still subject to periodic malnutrition during periods of man- Result and discussion made and natural disasters. Although poverty has declined at the Own Labour Absorption macro level, the rural-urban and inter-State disparities are still The table1 explains the own labour absorption. The average visible. hours of labour absorption per acre for dry land farmers was Methodology found to be 77.00 hours, whereas the average hours of labour Tamilnadu absorption were found to be 87.68 hours, for wet land farmers. The selection of Tamilnadu is owing to its agricultures T-test was applied to find whether there was any significant preponderance. difference between dry and wet land farmers in the average Tamilnadu achieved significant results in the production of hours of labour absorption. food grains, using high yielding varieties [HYV].Besides, The calculated T- value was found to be 3.939 and it was farmer’s exhibit better receptiveness to new technology. The found to be significant at 1 per cent level. This indicates that pace of development activity in Tamilnadu with a waste there is significant difference between dry and wet land farmers majority of agricultural population is set by the tempo of in the average hour of labour absorption per acre. production in the form front. 2110 K.M.Senthilkumar/ Elixir Prod. Mgmt. 32 (2011) 2108-2110

Hired labour Absorption overall views in the study area, the wet land farmers are more The table 1 shows the hired labour absorption. The average employed in own, hired human labour, Animal labour and hours of labour absorption per acre for dry land farmers was Mechanical labour in agricultural operational activities, found to be 146.97 hours, whereas the average hours of labour comparatively dry land farmers in the study area. absorption were found to be 215.48 hours, for wet land farmers. References T- test was applied to find whether there was any significant 1. Acharya Sarthi, “Labour use in Indian Agriculture Analysis at difference between dry and wet land farmers in the average Macro Level for the Eighties”, Indian Journal of Agricultural hours of labour absorption. The calculated T value was found to Economics, 47. 2.1992, P.169. be 7.057 which are found to be significant at 1 per cent level. 2. Agarwal Bina, Mechanization in Indian Agriculture: An This indicated that there is significant difference between dry Analytical study based on Punjab, New Delhi, Allied publishers, and wet land farmers in the average hours of labour absorption 1983. in per acre. 3. Arun and Patel.s, “Irrigation: Its Employment Impart in The Own and hired labour absorption command Areas of Medium Irritation Projects in Gujarat”, The table 1 explains the own and hired labour absorption. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 36, 1981, PP.20-30. The average hours of labour absorption per acre for dry land 4. Dash, R.C. Pradhan, S.C., Behera. P. and Mahaputra. M, farmers was found to be 223.97 hours whereas the average hours “Evaluation, of Bullock farming and power tiller farming of labour absorption was fond to be 303.16 hours, for wet land systems for groundnut crop in the stated of Orissa India,” farmers. T-test was applied to find whether there was any Agricultural-Mechanization in Asia Africa and Latin America, significant difference between dry and wet land farmers in the 24,3, 1993, PP.19-22. average hours of labour absorption. The calculated T- Value was 5. Ehuis and R. polson, “A Review of the Economic and found to 6.798 which were found to be significant at 1 per cent Ecological constraints on Animal Draft cultivation in sub- level. This indicates that there is significant difference between Suharan Africa”, Soil and Tillago Research, 1,4, 1993, PP.195- dry and wet land farmers in the average hours of labour 210. absorption in the average hours of labour absorption in per acre. 6. Gill, S.S G.Sing and N.Sing, “Impart of Tractorization on Animal labour absorption Agricultural production and Employment pattern ferozepur The table 1 explains animal labour absorption in dry and District (Punjab)”, Manpower Journal, 2 -1979, PP.18-22. wet land farmers. The average hours of animal labour absorption 7. Janaiah A. and V.Kiresur, “Employment Potential Hybrid per acre for dry land farmers was found to be 37.05 hours, Rice seed production in Rural India-An-Ea-Ante study”, Indian whereas the average hours of animal labour absorption were Journal of agricultural Economics, 48,3 1993, PP.501-502. found to be 40.87 hours, for wet land farmers. T-test was applied 8. Pandya kiran, “labour absorption in Agricultures some to find whether there was any significant difference between dry issues”, Anvesak, 17,1 1987, PP. 45-68. and wet land farmers in the average hours of animal labour 9. Planning commission, “Employment pars Trends and absorption. The calculated T-value was found to be 4.962 which prospects for 1990.Newdelhi”, Government of India, 1990. were found to be significant at 1 per cent level. It indicates that 10. Dodke, L.B, S.S.Kalmkar, shender and B.L, Doshare, there is significant difference between dry and wet land farmers “Resource use Efficiency and productivity of Turmeric”, Journal in the average hours of animal labour absorption in per acre. of Soils and crops, 12,1, 2002, PP.124-126. Mechanical Labour Absorption 11. Dhongade, patiland, patil,”participation of women labour in The table 1 pictures Mechanical labour absorption in study Agriculture in maharastra,”Indian Journal of agricultural area. The average hours of mechanical labour absorption per Economics,1985,vol.XLNo3PP265-266 acre for dry land farmers, found to be 79.99 hours, whereas the 12. Muhammad Javed Iqbal, “Growing unemployment problem average hours of labour absorption, found to be 105.45 hours, to in India,” http://newsgroups derksiler.com/ Archive/ soc/ soc. wet land farmers. T-test was applied to find whether there was culture. pakistan/2008-09/msg 00054.html. any significant difference between dry and wet land farmers in 13. Vinod Anad, “Labour Absorption : A Unique strength of the average hours of labour absorption. The calculated T-value informal sector in india, mainstrecum”, XLVII, 2009. P.25. was found to be 5.382 and it was found to be significant at 1 per 14. Venkatanaidu,”Women partipartion in Agricultural cent level. It indicates that there is significant difference Sector,”Southern Economics,2004,vol.No4217PP11-13. between dry and wet land farmers in the average hours of 15. Ray A.V. “The present status of Agricultural mechanization mechanical labour absorption in per acre. and its constraints, Agricultural situation in India”, 48,4, 1993, Conclusion PP.245-250. The study point out that the irrigation had led to more labour being absorbed in farm activities, particularly agricultural production in wet land. It may be noted that the assurance of water supply through canal irrigation increase in wetland. In Table 1 Group Statistics For Labour Absorption CATEGORIES TYPE OF LAND N MEAN STD DEVIATION T DF SIG Total own labour Dry land 150 77.0027 22.0679 3.939 308 ** (Hrs) acre Wet land 160 87.6775 25.3950 Total hired labour Dry land 150 146.9700 88.1227 7.057 308 (Hrs) acre Wet land 160 215.4813 82.8099 Total labour own & hired(hrs) acre Dry land 150 223.9727 104.5019 6.789 308 ** Wet land 160 303.1587 100.5852 Total animal labour(hrs) Dry land 150 37.0467 6.1876 4.962 308 ** Wet land 160 40.8719 7.2968 Total Mechanical labour Dry land 150 79.9933 37.6175 5.382 308 ** Wet land 160 105.4750 45.1125